"Short-Term Resolution Difficult" Chinese Media Also Focuses on Domestic 'Yosusu Crisis'

People's Daily "Impact on logistics as well as public safety"
Global Times "Korean urea solution has depended on China"

A crowd is gathering in front of the indoor gymnasium in Iksan-si, Jeonbuk, to purchase urea solution on the 9th. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] Local Chinese media have focused intensively on the domestic supply issue of urea solution. In particular, Chinese outlets forecast that "this crisis cannot be resolved in the short term," stating that South Korea requested help from China regarding the supply and demand of urea solution.

The internet edition of the Chinese state-run media 'People's Daily,' known as 'People.cn,' reported in detail on the domestic urea solution supply crisis on the 6th (local time). The outlet stated, "The shortage of vehicle urea solution in South Korea is affecting logistics as well as public safety services such as fire trucks and ambulances."

A Chinese person who has lived in South Korea for 14 years explained the severity of the situation in an interview with 'People.cn,' saying, "In the past, if you ordered a 10-liter container of urea solution on e-commerce platforms, it would arrive almost the next day, but recently the price has surged more than tenfold, and transportation now takes about two weeks."

People.cn also predicted that the supply crisis would last long due to South Korea's lack of facilities to produce urea independently. The media explained, "Around 2011, urea solution plants in South Korea closed due to profitability issues," adding, "(The South Korean government) cannot resolve this issue in the short term. The government is considering requesting cooperation from China."

On the afternoon of the 8th, at a highway rest area gas station in Yeoju-si, Gyeonggi-do, trucks are lined up to refill AdBlue, an essential additive for diesel engine vehicles, amid a shortage of the product. / Photo by Yonhap News

Another Chinese state-run media outlet, 'Global Times,' also reported on the 9th that "the vehicle urea solution shortage crisis has been making headlines in South Korean media day after day," noting that "as China tightened export controls due to rising coal prices and power shortages, South Korea's supply of vehicle urea solution, which depended on China, has become insufficient."

Urea solution is manufactured by mixing urea with distilled water. This liquid plays a role in reducing harmful substances emitted from diesel vehicle exhaust. Especially for vehicles equipped with Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) systems, a shortage of urea solution makes operation impossible. Therefore, if the urea solution crisis prolongs, it risks disrupting the use of diesel vehicles such as freight trucks, ambulances, and emergency vehicles, which constitute the majority.

South Korea's urea solution supply problem arose due to China's export restrictions on urea. According to government statistics, 97.6% of the urea used in South Korea is Chinese-made. Recently, due to power shortages and coal supply deficits, China's urea production has decreased, leading to export restrictions to meet domestic demand.

The government is making every effort to secure urea necessary for producing urea solution. On the 8th, Lee Eokwon, the 1st Vice Minister of Strategy and Finance, announced at a pan-government joint response meeting on urea solution supply held at the Government Seoul Office that they plan to import several hundred tons (t) of vehicle urea from overseas, including Vietnam.

Additionally, the government has significantly increased the volume of urea solution to be imported from Australia from the initial 20,000 liters (ℓ) to 27,000 ℓ and is also promoting tariff reductions to facilitate urea imports.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.